Yardarm Secrets
by TeamIris-GoROFLcopters
Summary: Spoilers for HOH. Leo is good at fixing machines, not people. But when he figures out Percy's secret, he's willing to give it a go. Can a lowly mechanic get the prince of the Sea swimming again? One-shot. Rated K for anger (no bad language).


**Hello everybody! I'm back! So, I was reading my favourite chunks of the books, when I rediscovered Percy's fear of suffocation. Time to fix that up! And so, this was born!**

**DISCLAIMER: The cow says moo! I own nothing!**

The Argo II sailed into the night.

Slowly the demigods dispersed and soon Annabeth and Percy stood alone on the deck. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and said she was going to bed. She looked Percy over with concern, the message in her eyes clear – _you need anything, come talk to me, 'K?_

They'd survived Tartarus and were in the world again. Why was it so hard for him to believe that? He leaned over the railing, enjoying the feel of the waves below. He was careful to keep his eyes open now, to keep the images out of his mind.

A sudden splash of sea spray hit him in the face as the warship rolled casually off a particularly testy wave. It felt strange, and wonderful, to feel normal water on his face. Maybe that's why he flinched back. He sighed, leaning forward again. The five deadly rivers of Tartarus hadn't done anything to help his secret fear of the water. Now, that stupid phobia was worse than ever. He glared at the water, only to get splashed again.

He blinked and decided to get away from the sea. Casting his gaze around the deck, he finally decided that the lower yardarm of the main mast would be nice. He climbed quickly and leaned against the mast, one leg swinging off the edge and simply stared at the stars. They were so bright and pretty after Tartarus. No wonder Bob missed them.

"Rough night, Shark-boy?" said a voice. Percy whirled to see the grinning face of Leo Valdez. When had he come back on deck? Suddenly, Percy wasn't altogether sure he'd left. Leo was nearly always on deck. Percy allowed a small smile, now that his heart was back at its normal pace.

"If I'm Shark-boy, you're Lava-girl." he said. Gods of Olympus, that had been a bad movie. Leo gave him a mock offended look before grinning once more and settling down next to him.

"So…" Leo fiddled awkwardly with his shirt. "Stars are nice."

Percy raised an eyebrow at him. "Leo, if you want to say something just say it." It came out a little harsher than he intended. Leo gave him a surprised look and shifted slightly.

"Alright." He cleared his throat uneasily and started tapping a random pattern on the mast. Percy wasn't sure why he did that. "I, uh, saw you at the railing just now and…well, before I talked to Frank about you guy's quest and Alaska, and I wondered…it's pretty stupid, but I thought, maybe…" he trailed off.

"Leo, you're not making sense." Percy tried not to sound exasperated. He was curious now – he'd never seen Leo so nervous. The son of Hephaestus looked at him squarely and stopped tapping.

"Percy." he said. "Are you afraid of the water?"

The words were like Jason – they just hung in mid-air. Percy jumped to his feet and started walking along the yardarm – mainly so he could turn away from Leo. He didn't want to be caught blushing.

"No! That's just…stop being stupid Leo! That's a stupid joke!" Percy said. He wasn't angry at Leo. He was angry at himself. He stopped at the end of the yardarm, aware that Leo was following him. "I am not afraid of the water!"

"Alright." Percy heard Leo backing off and relaxed. Mistake. The mechanic stepped forward and lightly shoved him. He tottered on the edge of the yardarm, and gave a heroic little squeak as he saw the water below. Then, Leo gently pulled him back and helped him balance again. "There's nothing wrong with it." he said, surprisingly gentle.

Okay. Now, Percy was angry at Leo. Why did the guy that laughs at everything have to find out a son of _freaking Poseidon _was afraid of the water? He glared at Leo and stormed towards him, not entirely sure what he wanted to do. Leo backed up quickly and nearly lost his footing. Percy grabbed his arm to stop him from falling and breaking his neck. He may be angry, but Leo was still his friend.

"Thanks," Leo gasped. "I want to help." Percy tightened his grip slightly.

"How's tossing me in the ocean 'help'?" he asked angrily. Leo met his eyes.

"I know what it's like, so I thought my advice would be good." he shrugged. Percy stared at him, anger slowly fading.

"You're afraid of water?" Leo shook his head and grimaced slightly, glancing pointedly at his arm. Percy realised he was still holding on too tightly and probably hurting him. He hastily let go. They both sat down on the yardarm, feet dangling. Finally Percy spoke.

"So, not scared of water?" he asked. Leo shook his head.

"I was scared of fire." Percy stared at him, and Leo started to explain. Originally, when he thought about trying to help Percy, Leo was determined to keep it need-to-know. Now, however, he pretty much told Percy his entire life story.

After his mum had died because he'd lost control, Leo had been scared of fire. Matches and lighter made him nervous. He promised to never use his gift again. He never lost control of his emotions; never let himself get angry or sad. He just smiled and laughed it all off. If he was getting in too deep, he just ran away.

Then, he'd made it to camp. He was careful to keep it secret, but after he got claimed, he got the urge to try again. Like it was waking up after all these years. On the quest, he'd learned about Gaia and used his fire to save Jason and Piper.

"So, I practiced in my free time. I got to control it. I could make it bigger, smaller, hotter, cooler, shorter, longer. Then it wasn't scary anymore." Leo concluded. Percy stared at him with his mouth open. Leo placed a finger under his chin and closed it with a snap. "So, my advice is, try again."

Leo then stood, gave a mocking bow and shimmed down the mast. At the bottom, he saluted Percy. "Lava-girl out."

Leo wandered across the deck and started to head down to his cabin. But as he was closing the door at the top of the stairs, he heard a loud splash.

**I don't know whether or not you liked it, but I do enjoy writing serious Leo. I mean, I love fun Leo, but I also like serious Leo. **

**BTW I am starting my next multi-chap soon (when Horatio gets off his strike). That or I will expand my One Jump Ahead song-fic into a Percy Jackson Disney Song-Fic Thingy. **

**IMPORTANT! - Sorry if you like my story, Tangled Up With Gods and Guardians. I have completely lost all interest. I WILL NEVER EVER ABANDON A STORY EVER. But it may take a while to update.**

**Till next time!**


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